Skip to content

ALE (Annualised Loss Expectancy)

Definition

The expected monetary loss from a specific threat over a one-year period. Calculated as: ALE = SLE x ARO (Annualised Rate of Occurrence). ALE is the primary metric used to justify control investments in quantitative risk analysis.

Related terms

FAIR (Factor Analysis of Information Risk)
A quantitative risk framework standardised by The Open Group (Open FAIR) that decomposes risk into Loss Event Frequency and Loss Magnitude, each...
Qualitative risk assessment
A methodology that rates likelihood and impact on descriptive or ordinal scales (such as 1-5 or low/medium/high) and combines them in a...
Quantitative risk assessment
A methodology that assigns monetary values to threat scenarios using metrics such as asset value, exposure factor, SLE, ARO, and ALE. Outputs...
Risk appetite
The amount and type of risk an organisation is willing to accept in pursuit of its objectives, as defined by its governing...
SLE (Single Loss Expectancy)
The expected monetary loss from a single occurrence of a specific threat event against a specific asset. Calculated as: SLE = Asset...

Explained in

  • Risk Assessment MethodologiesThe expected monetary loss from a specific threat over a one-year period. Calculated as: ALE = SLE x ARO (Annualised Rate of Occurrence). ALE is the primary me...

Your journey to becoming a forensic professional starts here.

Practice with mock tests, learn from structured notes, and get your questions answered by a global forensic community, all in one place.